Specialized centers for cancer patients urged

Dr. Khawla bint Sami Alkuraya, a member of the Shoura Council and a cancer expert at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center has called for the establishment of specialized centers for the care of cancer patients. These centers are meant to provide comprehensive health care services, including a peaceful environment for terminal patients and medicine to relieve pain, the expert said.

People around the world marked World Cancer Day on Wednesday.

She said the annual event being organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) with the slogan “not beyond us” will highlight a number of themes related to the disease, including the importance of its early detection, access to treatment and attention to the quality of life for cancer patients.

Dr. Khawla, who is also the head researcher at King Fahd National Oncology Center, said some patients out of desperation resort to herbal medicines, which bring about negative results or even death, due to the lack of awareness and manipulation by herbal medicine providers.

“Cancer is considered as one of the biggest medical challenges facing the world today.

“However, it can be controlled in light of the enormous medical developments by global scientific centers in the fight against the disease and creation of advanced medicines which have remarkably contributed to increased recovery rates,” she said.

Nagwa Mousa, a medical expert, emphasized the importance of early detection of the deadly disease, which she said plays an important role in its treatment and could pave the way to recovery.

Mousa said that family support contributes to the patient’s willingness to live.

She said the establishment of specialized centers for cancer patients would herald a new era where patients will feel free from the pressures of the debilitating disease and have the strength to face the last stages of cancer among their friends and family.